Glam Slam: The Friday Five — Streamline Your Morning

With the launch of our new morning show, Access Hollywood Live, I now get up at 3:30 in the morning. Yep, you read that right, 3:30. Brutal. No time for hemming and hawing about what to wear, I do as much prepping as I can the night before. Here are five ways to get you out of the door faster, courtesy of InStyle beauty director Amy Synnott-D’Annibale.

1. SPEED-STYLE YOUR HAIR
Instead of washing and drying your whole head, simply restyle the front of your hair by blow-drying and smoothing out the pieces around your face. Then twist hair into a low bun and slip on a headband (like Jessica Alba, pictured) to camouflage any lingering frizz around your hairline.

2. EDIT YOUR MAKEUP BAG
Ask yourself: Do you really need that giant basket of cosmetics overflowing with crumbly old shadows you haven’t worn since 2005? Chances are, you use the same 3-5 products every single day so there’s no reason you should have to dig around for them. Create two baskets: one for makeup that’s worn everyday and one for special occasion makeup (like that fiery red you swear you’re going to wear one day).

3. CREATE A LMD: LITTLE MAGIC DRESS
Wearing a dress is the easiest way to simplify your morning routine so find one that looks great on you and make copies! Bring the original to a reputable tailor (many can supply fabric) and have him or her recreate it in a couple different shades (black, camel, red). This can become your go to uniform just switch up your accessories and outer layers (cardigan, blazer) to make it look fresh everyday.

4. MASTER THE PARTIAL PEDI
If your polish is chipped, reach for the peep toes. When you wear these shoes, the only toe that really shows is your big toe (and possibly a sliver of its next door neighbor). Put the shoe on, and then carefully apply one coat of polish to the exposed nails (the fewer coats, the less likely it is to smudge).

5. FREEZE YOUR BREAKFAST
No time to whip up a smoothie? Take a cue from Beyonce’s hairstylist (and mother of one) Kimberly Kimble and prepare one the night before. An even better idea: make a huge batch on Sunday night and then freeze individual servings in Popsicle molds.

For more tips, check out the October issue of InStyle, on newsstands now or go to InStyle.com.